Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Number Six - a real rock dinosaur
Earlier this year I blogged about buying my first Dylan albums, predicting the start of a slippery slope towards a buying frenzy for Bob albums. Well, that was an exaggeration. So far I've failed to really get hooked by the downright deadpan delivery and the downright miserable tone, although Dylan's prowess as a songwriter does shine through.
Fitting then, that although Bob doesn't feature in my top 10 (or top 30, come to that - and that's about as many different albums I've listened to in 2007) but an album full of cover version of Dylan songs is up there at number six. Take a bow Bryan Ferry, and I'm sorry for calling you a rock dinosaur.
Ferry is one of those few artists whose new albums I'll just buy on spec - along with REM and David Bowie (hurry up, both of you). Another aside, Radiohead used to fall into that category until they did strange things with a 128kbps-only download of In Rainbows, for which I offered the grand sum of nothing, so I could preview it ahead of the CD coming out next year that I can buy and rip at a proper bitrate. Anyway?
Despite having bought Bryan?s Dylanesque album with gusto, it was actually with trepidation that I offered up the silver disc for a first hearing. It's fair to say that Bryan?s mid-life crisis stretched from the late 80s through to his late 90s album (correct me if I'm wrong) Frantic. The album Taxi in particular showed that Bry's writers block was truly hindering the career of a once-great singer-songwriter. Gratifying, therefore, that Ferry decided to bite the bullet and cover some Dylan standards. Not for the first time, mind ? Dylan songs have been popping up on Ferry albums since the early 70s.
It's the first time I'm listening to the start of the first track, Tom Thumb's Blues. I'm seriously worried. Ferry's voice sounds frail, unsure, uncommitted, as if his heart isn't in it. But then the song drops into gear, the Ferry croon kicks in, the sun comes out from behind the clouds, the traffic lights all go green, and all is well. We're flying high.
I'm sure many, many Dylan fans hate the MoR Ferry interpretation. I'd like to see ol' Bob reciprocate with an album of Ferry covers. Just imagine the nasal whine mix of Slave To Love. Maybe I'm gonna start a petition.
Fitting then, that although Bob doesn't feature in my top 10 (or top 30, come to that - and that's about as many different albums I've listened to in 2007) but an album full of cover version of Dylan songs is up there at number six. Take a bow Bryan Ferry, and I'm sorry for calling you a rock dinosaur.
Ferry is one of those few artists whose new albums I'll just buy on spec - along with REM and David Bowie (hurry up, both of you). Another aside, Radiohead used to fall into that category until they did strange things with a 128kbps-only download of In Rainbows, for which I offered the grand sum of nothing, so I could preview it ahead of the CD coming out next year that I can buy and rip at a proper bitrate. Anyway?
Despite having bought Bryan?s Dylanesque album with gusto, it was actually with trepidation that I offered up the silver disc for a first hearing. It's fair to say that Bryan?s mid-life crisis stretched from the late 80s through to his late 90s album (correct me if I'm wrong) Frantic. The album Taxi in particular showed that Bry's writers block was truly hindering the career of a once-great singer-songwriter. Gratifying, therefore, that Ferry decided to bite the bullet and cover some Dylan standards. Not for the first time, mind ? Dylan songs have been popping up on Ferry albums since the early 70s.
It's the first time I'm listening to the start of the first track, Tom Thumb's Blues. I'm seriously worried. Ferry's voice sounds frail, unsure, uncommitted, as if his heart isn't in it. But then the song drops into gear, the Ferry croon kicks in, the sun comes out from behind the clouds, the traffic lights all go green, and all is well. We're flying high.
I'm sure many, many Dylan fans hate the MoR Ferry interpretation. I'd like to see ol' Bob reciprocate with an album of Ferry covers. Just imagine the nasal whine mix of Slave To Love. Maybe I'm gonna start a petition.
# posted by Nesjo : 10:56
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